Im curious, why? What is your issue with steam?

Agreed. I just saw the e-mail about my Pre-Order. After the Impulse sale to GameStop, I had really hoped Rebellion would have been platform-agnostic or at least kept using Impulse. I've requested a refund and my serial key to be voided if there isn't going to be a non-Steam version and have already received two Auto-responses. Just waiting for a representative now.

I'm not on Facebook or Twitter, so I missed all the news and talk about the coming beta. I read a GameSpy interview where the interviewer asked about Steamworks. The back and forth was as follows:

GameSpy: Now that Stardock has divested itself of Impulse, is Steamworks in consideration for managing the multiplayer matchmaking for Rebellion?

Brian Clair: Yeah, we're pretty much open to anything at this point. We have been looking around at various options, and we hope to make an announcement pretty soon on that.

The Pre-Order e-mail was the first I concrete information I've heard about Steamworks integration. A lot of people on the Sins forums seem to also believe that it is a Steamworks title and that, frankly, disappoints me.

Steamworks, and Steam in general, aren't as universally loved as you might think, Stardock. Give us choice.

Thank you.

As the dev's have stated multiple times, it doesn't matter if the purchase is available elsewhere.  Regardless of whether you buy it from Stardock, Steam, Impulse or any other possible future retailer/distributor.  The game will still require Steam to install and play.  I'm sorry to tell you this, but even though this may cause you to cancel your order, the move to steam is ultimately (over the whole) going to expand Sins sales and market exposure.  Not be of detriment to it because of the shear number of Steam users there are right now.  A number that dwarfs that of what Impulse had or currently has.  And because of the steamworks integration into the game, the likely hood of a separate stand alone version is unlikely simply due to the increased developmental requirements that would be entailed for supporting 2 different versions.  I'm sorry you've taken such a hard line stance against Steam.  I really am as I can fully understand your position, because I am currently fully boycotting Ubisoft due to their current draconian DRM stance.  But I have no problem with using Steam after having used it for years and watched it continuously improve both in features and reliability.  Although their customer service, their stance on refunds in regards to unusable software and pre-purchase game information details leaves much to be desired.  Again, sorry your not happy with the Dev's/Publishers decision.  It's your call.  But out of all the other DRM options they could have gone with, Steam is far from the worst.  I personally like the decision to move to Steam and am at the very least, extremely grateful that they didn't choose EA's Origin platform.

Well said,  This is exactly what its about, its a business decision for the company to make a profit and to use a delivery system to get their game out in the market and to try and expand that market. 

I have a friend who owns a gaming company, He tells me all the time about the difficulties in trying to make his company successful and how they continually have to bend over to get financing and how publishers take severe advantage of them.  steam is a very cheap and easy platform to get their game to market. and if anyone cant understand that or agree with it, then as then man said.  Try starting your own gaming company and see how far you get before the wolf is at your door.

bebye and sorry for u!

p.s. my list of steam game is long as my arm and I love those free indie games. Steam is not just a house publisher, they are a new form a media to promote games.

I discovered a ton of games in steam that fancy me after the Sins trinity was moved there. They suggested similar things I had never seen, little very tight indie games.

Hell I even played some 16 colors games since I have steam, I bought for a 3rd time the entire X-Com/UFo serie (even terror from the deep!!)

i love steam because it makes things happen.

I have been in computer games for 27 years now and over, cracked and legit. I'll only swear by steam now.

I have tried it. I never liked it, but even that sentiment seems positive after I bought Supreme Commander 2 on release day at retail. I got it at a brick and mortar GameStop store and without knowing it had Steamworks integration. I looked it over before I left the store and there was no mention of Valve or Steam/Steamworks on any of the packaging and the case was still sealed. I made it home and opened it to find a Steam Serial Key insert and, having opened it, it was too late to return the copy to GameStop. I played it for a while, even multiplayer with a few friends who bought it as well, and saw no advantages over any other system. If anything, I saw a disadvantage from day one, in that the game refused to install from the disc. It's been too long to remember for sure now, but there must have been a day one patch, as I had to download the entirety of the game's data from Steam's servers. The advertisements whenever I closed the game didn't help (and led to a lot of unlogged game time when I found I could skip the ads by ending the Steam process tree when I was done playing Supreme Commander 2). Steam is no longer on my computer in any form and will not be again.

I don't begrudge developers for choosing to use Steamworks in their games. I just would like some warning, as I won't buy them knowing they do. Picking at random from the Wheel of Reasons, one of my larger issues is that Steam offers a few token conveniences at the expense of our rights as consumers, and no one seems to care. I have no issue with Steam, the store, but Steamworks is a DRM scheme first and a community system second. Publishers understand this and that it is popular with gamers. Developers and publishers both understand it is trusted to protect them from piracy. Did the industry learn nothing from The Witcher 2? Even today, a game can sell in obscene numbers--granted, mostly on Steam--and succeed without DRM (except for Steam, if you bought it on Steam), that it could have leaderboards, too.

Regardless, their decisions are just business. My decision in seeking a refund and my decision to refuse to play the likes of Left4Dead, Portal, Half-Life, Skyrim, or any other game I learn is a Steamworks title is business as well. My business just has different priorities.

That is interesting... I hope that when this version comes out those of us that preordered will be able to choose to use Impulse or steam.

I cancelled my pre-order as of now and I'm awaiting a reply from support if Sins owners will be able to make use of the discount when this Impulse version will be released. However I think we'll be cut out from the beta for sure.

Also, can I ask moderator help to remove post non pertaining to the topic?

I think Minecraft is a better example. The guy is founding an entire game studio to make a sequel of one of his favorite games (Psychonauts), is certainly a multi millionaire, and he didn't need any third person client to do it.

Do let us know, and I'll be waiting for some official confirmation from Stardock people.

Gang - There appears to have been some misunderstanding. There will NOT be a non-Steamworks version of Rebellion. Later this year when we're ready to open up participation in the beta, you will be able to purchase it from other vendors besides Stardock, but they will all require Steam.

There goes that pipe dream. Will be waiting for my second response from Stardock Sales.

Thank you, Island Dog and Yarlen, for the clarifications.

Just a reminder, if you are going to talk about pirating Rebellion then that will get a quick exit out of here.